Image courtesy of TCGdex.net
Breloom has always struck a chord with Pokémon fans who crave a blend of natural resilience and martial finesse. In the Shining Legends era, this Grass-type Stage 1 set the stage for a playful yet surprisingly cunning engine: leverage a strong HP pool, a disruptive sleep-inducing attack, and a solid final strike to close out games in the Expanded format. Mizue’s art captures the geomorphic grace of this brawler-fungus hybrid, turning a simple grass beast into a legend you want on your bench and in your binder alike ⚡🔥.
In the broader mythos of the Pokémon world, Breloom's design embodies a forest guardian who wuses spores with disciplined precision and fists that land with quiet, puncturing force. The Trading Card Game translates that theme into a practical gambit: put the opponent’s Active Pokémon to sleep, stall for tempo, and then finish with a reliable punch. This isn’t merely a cute trick; it’s a deliberate tempo plan that can swing the pace of a match in Expanded, where players balance stalling, energy acceleration, and efficient removal. The card’s lineage—evolving from Shroomish into Breloom, a classic Stage 1—echoes the way many gym battles hinge on one well-timed evolution to unlock new vigor and options.
Card-details Snapshot
- Set: Shining Legends (SM3.5)
- Rarity: Common
- Stage: Stage 1 (Evolves from Shroomish)
- HP: 110
- Type: Grass
- Attacks:
- Hibernation Spore — cost: Grass. Your opponent’s Active Pokémon is now Asleep. Your opponent flips 2 coins between turns; if either is tails, that Pokémon is still Asleep.
- Magnum Punch — cost: Colorless x3. 80 damage.
- Weakness: Fire ×2
- Retreat: 2
- Illustrator: Mizue
- Variants: holo, normal, reverse; first Edition: False
- Legal in: Expanded (Standard not legal for this card in current rotations)
- From the market perspective: holo variants tend to hover around a few tenths of a euro in many markets, while non-holo copies frequently sit near the sub-$1 range depending on condition and edition
Breloom’s two attacks showcase a balanced toolkit. Hibernation Spore is a strategic stall move that can buy time for energy acceleration or setup—an attribute that still plays beautifully in Expanded where players juggle multiple stages and effects. The 110 HP gives Breloom staying power against many Grass and Fighting foes, yet its Fire weakness reminds players to mind the opponent’s burnout potential and the meta’s evolving fire-powered lists 🧪🔥. Magnum Punch then becomes the reliable closer when your window opens: three Colorless energies to deliver a solid 80 damage that can tack on the knockout when the board has the right setup.
Gameplay Tips: Mastering Breloom in Expanded
In practice, you want Breloom to hit the board when you’re prepared to maximize its disruptive potential. Start by pairing Shroomish’s early board presence with energy acceleration and trainer support that protects Breloom from counterplay. Hibernation Spore shines during mid-game standoffs: you force your opponent to commit more resources to waking and reactivating their attacker, while you build a path toward Magnum Punch closure. Remember the coin mechanic carefully: since two coins are flipped between turns, you need both coins to come up heads to wake the Active Pokémon from sleep. If either coin lands tails, that Pokémon remains asleep, amplifying the stall window you earned with Hibernation Spore ⚡🎴.
Breloom’s Grass typing also invites synergy with other Grass and Stage 2 lines in Expanded. You can weave in supporting Pokémon that spread energy or apply additional disruption, creating a layered threat that’s hard for opponents to race through. Its 2 Retreat Cost means you’ll want to consider a supporting pivot Pokémon or a retreat-friendly setup—especially when your opponent tries to pressure Breloom with early inlets of damage. The Fire weakness is a simple but real caveat; watch your matchups against Fire-centric decks and adjust with type-resistant teammates or healing timing to keep Breloom in the fight.
From a deck-building perspective, Breloom is a budget-friendly star for players looking to pilot classic Shining Legends energy curves in the Expanded format. Even common copies hold sentimental value for collectors who love the Shining Legends era’s art direction and the nostalgia of Mizue’s illustrations. If you’re hunting for holo foils, consider market trends that show holo copies hovering in the low-to-mid EUR range on CardMarket, with non-holo prices often under one euro, depending on condition and market dynamics. For newer collectors or those testing the waters of Expanded play, Breloom offers a reliable, flavorful option without demanding high-cost investments 🚀💎.
Collector’s Perspective: Rarity, Variants, and Market Pulse
As a Common in Shining Legends, Breloom provides a door into a beloved subset of cards that still turns heads at local tournaments and casual meetups. The illustrator Mizue has many fans who follow card art closely, and the holo variant—when found in good condition—often earns its own little pedestal on display shelves. The card’s evolution line from Shroomish to Breloom is a storytelling touch that resonates with players who enjoy the game’s pacing and the delight of a timely evolution drop. For those tracking price trends, the Cardmarket holo price shows a gentle upward edge over longer windows, while TCGPlayer data points to portable affordability for the common print. In short, Breloom is approachable for collectors who want a tangible piece of Shining Legends lore without breaking the bank, and it remains a practical option for Expanded lists that value disruption and clean tempo control.
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